Rotary steam-engine.



N0."725,580. PATENTED APR. 14, 1903.

J. MQGALLEY '& H. L. GOLLMAN.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1902.

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ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1902.

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NITED STATES.

PATENT. OFFICE.

JAMES MOCALLEY AND HENRY L. CO LLMAN, OF MOUNT ETNA, IOWA.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 725,580, dated April 14, 1903. Application filed September 19, 1902. Serial No. 124,122. (No model.)

skilled in'the art to whichit appertainsto make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements'in steam-engines, and more particularly to rotary steam-engines, and has for its object to provide a rotary engine which is adapted to be operated by steam, water, hot air, gas, or other analogous fluid having sufficient pressure, to obviate many of the defects in rotary engines heretofore made by obtaining the direct impact of the steam on the pistons and employing a slide-valvewhich can be set to cut off at any desired point, and thus allow sufiicient space for expansion before the steam exhausts, and also to prevent back pressure.

Our invention still further has for its object to provide a rotary steam-engine which is steam-tight, very durable, simple and inexpensive in construction, and exceedingly easy to operate.

In thepreferred'forrn of our invention the pistons are formed with acontinuously-curved tapering front face, and the valve operated by said pistons is provided with'a beveled end against which the said tapering faces of the pistons engage and force said valve outward. Said valve is returned to its normal position by the action of thesprings.

The invention consists in the several features and combination of features, as more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate our invention, Figure 1' is a side elevation; Fig. 2, a central'longitudinal section; Fig. 3, a cross-section on line X X of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, an edge 'view in elevation; Fig. 5, a detail view of one of the'pist'ons,-and Fig. 6 adetail sectional view of the head of one of the pistons.

In the drawings, in which like characters of reference denote like parts throughout the several views,,l represents the circular casing of the rotary steam-engine, which is preferably square in cross-section and is made in two parts or halves 2 3, bolted together, each ing any suit-able packing between the edges of said parts, so as to makea steam-tight joint. Said casing is supported on a base 4.- A drive-shaft'5 is mounted in boxes 6 on the base 4 and passes centrally through an aperture in each half of the casing and on one 'end carries a fiy-wh'eel 7 and a drive-pulley 8, which is adapted to receive a belt to transmit power from the engine to a ventilator, compressor, dynamo, lathe, harvester,.pump, or any other machinery to be driven.

A wheel 9 is mounted on and keyed to the shaft 5 inside the casing, and to its outer periphery are bolted or otherwise secured pis- '55 provided with a central opening a and hav-' nular grooves in'the wheel, which permits air to be admitted to cool and thereby prevent the overheating of the parts.

The pistons travel in an annular square channel 15 between theouter periphery of the Wheel 9 and the inner walls of the twopart casing. A steam-chest 16is provided at the top-of the casing, and a steam-supply I pipe 16*, leading from a suitable boiler, (not 'shown,) connects with the top of said steamchest, by which steam is supplied to the engine.

17 is a port connecting the steam-chest with the channel 15, and 18 is a slide-valve, preferably made solid and with a smooth face, which controls the inlet of steam through the port 17 into the channel 15.

On the shaft 5 at one side of the casing is mounted an eccentric 19, with a' two-part strap 20 surrounding the same,'said strap being secured to the end of a rod 21. Abracket 22 projects upwardly from the top of the easing and has a rocker-arm 23 pivoted thereon, the upper end of said rocker-arm being connected to the slidable link 24 of the slidevalve 18 and the lower end connected to the rod 21.

By adjusting the eccentric and rocker-arm the length of stroke or cut-off of the slidevalve 18 may be regulated to suit the requirements of the various and different classes of work which the engine may be used for.

25 is the exhaust-port, to which is connected an exhaust-pipe 26.

28 is a vertically-slidable abutment mounted in grooves in one end of the steam-chest and having a stem 29 and a beveled lower edge 30. In its normal position the slidable abutment 28 is within and closes the channel 15 at a point between the inlet and exhaust ports and with its lower end resting on the curved face of one of the pistons.

To the upper end of thestem 29 of the'slidable abutment 28 is secured an arm 31, and spiral springs 32 33 are attached to the opposite ends of said arm, each of said springs having its lower end attached to the top of the steam-chest. The springs 32 33 are for the purpose of returning the slidable abutment 28 to its normal position in the channel 15 when not forced outward by contact with one of the pistons.

The abutment 28 prevents back pressure of the steam and is made steam-tight by suitable packing.

The motion of the engine may be regulated by any suitable throttle-valve placed at a convenient point. (Not shown.)

We do not wish to limit ourselves to the precise construction as herein shown and described, as the same may be varied somewhat without departing from the spirit of our invention.

v In operating steam or other fluid is admitted into the steam-chest through the inlet-pipe 11 and then passes through the port 17 to the channel 15 (the passage of the steam from the steam-chest to the channel being regulated by means of the slide-valve 18) and fills that portion of the channel between the head of one of the pistons and the slidable abutment 28, and the pressure of the'steani against the head of the piston causes the same to move, turning the wheel 9. As the piston moves forward more and more of the channel is presented to be filled with steam and the tapering face of the piston contacts with and gradually lifts the slidable abutment and at the same time the used steam is being exhausted through the exhaust-port 25.

The pistons are so arranged that just be-v fore one of them has made half of a revolution a fresh supply of steam will be admitted and the other piston will commence to move and the same operation will be repeated as for the other piston. Thus it will be seen that the operation is a continuous one. As soon as the head of each piston has passed the abutment it will be forced inward by the coiled springs and close the channel at that point.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is-- A rotary engine, provided with a casing havinginlet and exhaust ports, a shaft mounted independently and out of contact with said casing provided with a wheel having pistons with continuously-tapering faces from end to end, a channel between the inner wall of said casing and the outer periphery of the wheel, a steam-chest provided with a slide-valve, a vertically-slidable abutment designed to close said channel between the inlet and exhaust ports, an arm rigidly fixed at the upper end of said abutment, and springs connecting each end of said arm to the steam-chest, said abutmentbeing moved inward by said springs and outward by the curved faces of the pistons, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

JAMES MOOALLEY. HENRY L. COLLMAN.

Witnesses:

T. C. DAVIS, GEO. I-IIOKMAN. 

